News Roundup 31 July 2024
Jul 31, 2024 • 5 min Read
US Coast Guard to assist in post oil spill ops | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Representatives from the United States Coast Guard are expected to assist with the MTKR Terranova oil spill in Bataan, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said on Wednesday.
Authorities have been combating the oil spill caused by the sunken MTKR Terranova as they attempt to prevent a widespread environmental catastrophe. However, traces of oil have already reached the shores of Bulacan and Cavite, with some reporting oil sheens in Metro Manila as well.
“I received a message that a seven man team from the US Coast Guard will be arriving this weekend. And they are going to the ground zero probably on August 5,” Balilo said in a press briefing.
According to the PCG spokesperson, the team will have personnel from the US Coast Guard’s Marine Environmental Protection Team, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
However, Balilo said that they are not necessarily there to hasten up the oil spill mitigation efforts, but they could lend their expertise on the aftermath.
“They will lend their expertise siguro ‘yung aftermath ng oil spill, ‘yung coastal management,” Balilo said.
A total of three vessels have run into trouble in the waters of Bataan. The MTKR Terranova, which threatens to spill 1.4 million liters of oil into Philippine waters, has necessitated the PCG’s immediate attention. The MT Jason Bradley also sank in the waters of Bataan but carried less oil than the MTKR Terranova.
Full Story at: US Coast Guard to assist in post oil spill ops | Philstar.com
Tracking systems fail to show extent of Filipino fishers’ reliance on West Philippine Sea | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Despite being a crucial fishing ground for scores of Filipino fishers, the West Philippine Sea (WPS) remains largely unmonitored, with global tracking systems in the dark about the true scale of Filipinos’ fishing activities in the area.
Filipino fishers, who mostly use small fishing boats, are invisible or outnumbered by foreign vessels in the resource-rich WPS based on spatial and satellite trackers, according to a study by fisheries analyst Rollan Geronimo of the United States-based University of Hawaii.
This means the Philippines is “not able to demonstrate to the world how it is utilizing fishery resources in the area,” Geromino wrote.
Geronimo’s study is one of 13 articles included in the “West Philippine Sea: State of the Coasts” report by the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, which was released on Tuesday.
The research highlights the dominance of foreign fishing vessels in the WPS as shown by data from two main vessel tracking systems: the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).
Full Story at: Tracking systems fail to show extent of Filipino fishers’ reliance on West Philippine Sea | Philstar.com
Trillanes: ICC requests Interpol blue notice for PNP execs linked to drug war | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already asked Interpol to issue a “blue notice” against five former and current high-ranking officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) tagged in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Wednesday.
Trillanes said the “blue notice” request came after the ICC asked the Philippine government to interview the five ranking police officers.
The five former and current ranking police officers are Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa who served as PNP chief under the Duterte administration, former PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde, former PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) chief Romeo Caramat, Director of PNP’s Drug Enforcement Group Eleazar Mata, and National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo.
“Kasabay nitong pagbigay ng dokumento na ito sa Philippine government ng ICC ay meron din silang request sa Interpol na isama itong limang ito doon sa blue notice kung saan maaari silang ihold sa mga iba’t ibang immigration counters kung saan man silang bansa lalabas,” he said.
(In addition to submitting this document to the Philippine government, the ICC has requested Interpol to include these five individuals in the blue notice, which could cause them to be held at various immigration counters wherever they may travel abroad.)
Full Story at: ICC requests Interpol blue notice for PNP execs linked to drug war (inquirer.net)
China says Philippines risks ‘greater insecurity’ after US military aid pledge | INQUIRER.NET – China on Wednesday warned the Philippines it risks “greater insecurity for itself,” after the United States said it would provide $500 million in additional military funding to Manila in the face of Beijing’s growing assertiveness.
In Manila on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled what he called a “once in a generation investment” to help modernize the Philippine armed forces and coast guard.
Asked about the announcement, Beijing’s foreign ministry on Wednesday warned Manila that “wooing countries from outside the region to provoke confrontation in the South China Sea will only undermine regional stability and aggravate tensions.”
“Trying to introduce external forces to protect its own security will only lead to greater insecurity for itself, and it might even become someone else’s pawn,” spokesman Lin Jian said.
The latest high-level US visit follows a series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway that have raised concern that Washington could be dragged into a conflict due to its mutual defense treaty with Manila.
Full Story at: China says Philippines risks ‘greater insecurity’ after US military aid pledge | INQUIRER.net
